Crimping and imprinting machine



Nov. 22, 1955 c. L. DWNEY 2,724,224

CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE Filed May 51, 1950 11 Sheets-Sheet l I /22 25? 258 255 25? if :E i g. .].Q INVENTOR.

CLEMENT LEE Dow/W5) Nov. 22, 1955 c. L. DOWNEY 2,724,224

CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE Filed May 51, 1950 11 Sheets-Sheet 2 //8' //.9 3o? [/5 w M/ IN VEN TOR. CLEMENT LEE DOWNEY Nov. 22, 1955 c. 1.. DOWNEY 2,724,224

CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE Filed May 31. 1950 11 Sheets-Sheet 3 223 238 INVENTOR.

CLEMENT LEE DOWNEY I I n 226 BY Fi 31. F1 35. W M

Nov. 22, 1955 c, DQWNEY 2,724,224

CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE Filed May 31, 1950 "11 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

M CLEMENT LEE DOWNEY J -i W Nov. 22, 1955 c. I... DOWNEY 2,724,224

CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE Filed May 51, 1950 11 Sheets-Sheet s my INVENTOR.

252 CLEMENT LEE DOWNEY l T 5 BY 1 I 1 M WQZ Attys.

Nov. 22, 1955 .c. DOWNEY 2,724,224

CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE Filed May 31, 1950 11 sheets-Sheet 6 IN VEN TOR. C1 EMENT [E5 Dow/v5) Nov- 22. 1955 c. L. DOWNEY CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE 11 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed May 31, 1950 INVENTOR. CLEMENT LEE DOWNEY BY M Ahfys.

Nov. 22, 1955 c. L. DOWNEY 2,724,224

CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE Filed May 51, 1950 ll Sheets-Sheet 8 Q INVEN TOR.

296 CLEMENT LEE *DOWNEY J ll a? Nov. 22, 1955 c. 1.. DOWNEY 2,724,224

CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE Filed May 51, 1950 ll Sheets-Sheet 9 m m i 21B, 253

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CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE Filed May 31, 1950 ll Sheets-Sheet 10 m llllllllll lllqml IN VEN TOR. CLEMENT [5 DOWNEY Nov. 22, 1955 c. L. DOWNEY CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE l1 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed May 31, 1950 v INVENTOR. CLEMENT LEE DOWNEY BY Affys.

United States Patent 2,724,224 CRIMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINE Clement Lee Downey, Hannibal, M0., assignor to Johnson Fare Box Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application May 31, 1956, Serial No. 165,221

16 Claims. (Cl. 5360) This invention relates to coin handling machines and more particularly to machines for crimping an end of a coin rouleau and printing indicia on the rouleau. This application is a continuation in part of my co-pending ap plication Serial No. 30,097 filed May 29, 1948, now Patent Number 2,620,728, granted Dec. 9, 1952.

Coin rouleaus, particularly those of the gun shell type as manufactured have a closed end and open end. These rouleaus are filled with coins by a filling machine and after filling, the open end must be crimped'or closed.

An object of this invention is to provide a machine for handlingfilled but uncrimped or open rouleaus and automatically crimping or closing the open end of each rouleau.

A further object of this invention is to provide a rouleau handling machine which crimps the open end of a rouleau and prints indicia on the rouleau.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine that will close or crimp the open end of rouleaus, print the desired indicia or information thereon, and deliver them to a receiving box or container in an orderly stacked arrangement, and also counts the number of rouleaus delivered to the receiver.

- A further object of this invention is to provide a rouleau crimping and printing machine which automatically delivers a predetermined number of crimped and printed rouleaus to a rouleau receiving box.

A further object of this invention is to provide a rouleau crimping and printing machine which automatically stacks rouleaus in a rouleau receiving box.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine of the type referred to above which is provided with apparatus for receiving a rouleau and automatically advancing it in sequence to a crimping station, a printing station, and a discharge station, the machine including means for automatically stopping the rouleau at each station for a predetermined period of time.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine of this type which is provided with rouleau elevating apparatus at the crimping station which automatically raises the rouleau to bring the uncrimped upper end thereof against a crimping head to crimp the upper end thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine of this type having an elevator plate which automatically rises beneath the rouleau to raise the rouleau against a crimping head when the rouleau is at the crimping station.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine of this type having an elevator plate and an automatic chuck associated therewith which grasps the rouleau and prevents turning of the rouleau as the elevator plate holds the rouleau against a rotating crimping head.

A further object of this invention is to provide, in a machine of this type, a rouleau discharging trap which receives a rouleau in vertical position and swings the rouloan to horizontal position before dropping the rouleau into a rouleau receiving box.

A further object of this invention is to provide, in a machine of this type, means for holding a rectangular box beneath the trap with the bottom of the box inclined at an angle of approximately thirty degrees with the horizontal and with an upper wall of the box closely spaced behind the trap so that when a rouleau'is dropped from the trap, the rouleau enters the box adjacent the upper wall of the box, and rouleaus dropped into the box are stacked automatically therein.

A further object of this invention is to provide, in a machine of this type, a rouleau discharge trap which has a door which swings open to discharge a rouleau from the trap when the trap is in horizontal position which door, when open, is held in'a position substantially parallel to and spaced only sufiiciently from the upper wall of the box that when a rouleau falls from the trap along the door, the rouleau enters the box parallel to and adjacent the upper wall of the box.

Briefly the present invention provides a rouleau crimping and printing machine having a turret provided with four sockets for receiving coin loaded rouleaus which are crimped only at their lower ends. The mechanism of the machine is adapted to turn or index the turret atintervals through an angle of ninety degrees to advance each socket from a feeding station to a crimping station, then to a printing, and finally to a discharge station. The turret is halted automatically at each station for a sufiieient time for the machine to perform its operation on a rouleau at each station. At the crimping station, an elevator plate raises the rouleau against a crimping head to crimp the upper end of the rouleau. When the upper end of the rouleau has been crimped the elevator plate is automatically lowered and the turret advances the rouleau to the printing station. At the printing station a printing head is brought against the rouleau to print appropriate indicia thereon. Then the turret is again advanced or indexed to bring the socket to the discharge station at which the rouleau can automatically fall past a rouleau counting mechanism to a rouleau trap. The rouleau trap automatically catches each rouleau in a vertical position and turns the rouleau to a horizontal position before dropping the rouleau to a r box mounted .below the trap. The box is mounted with its bottom at an angle of approximately thirty degrees to the horizontal so that, as rouleaus are dropped into the box adjacent an upper end wall thereof, the rouleaus automatically are stacked in the box.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will in part be apparent and will in part be obvious from the following detailed description and the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a rouleau counting and imprinting machine constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the machine being shown as seen from a operators station;

Fig. 2 is a View in side elevation, partly broken away and in section, of the upper or main operating head portion of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1, the casing being removed, portions of the machine, turret, guide plate, turret adjusting mechanism and discharge mechanism being broken away for clarity of details, details of the counter mechanism being omitted.

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the head of the machine, the casing and counter mechanism being removed, parts of the guide plate and turret being broken away, the turret spiders being removed for clarity of detail;

Fig. 4 is a view in rear elevation of the head of the machine, the casing being removed, part of the turret being broken away, and the turret spiders being removed for clarity of detail;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the head of the machine with the casing removed, part of the drive mechanism being broken away for clarity, the view being taken from the side of the machine opposite the operators station, the counter bracket and mechanism being omitted;

Fig. 6 is a view in front elevation showing details of the counter mechanism, the casing of the machine being removed;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the counter mechanism and of a portion of the turret;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section of the rear of the counter bracket plate showing details of a counter actuating mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in side elevation partly broken away and in section showing details of the counter mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a shutter and shutter supporting member which form a part of the counter mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a switch releasing device which forms a part of the counter mechanism;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view in side elevatoin showing details of an elevator plate and mechanism for raising the elevator plate to brin a rouleau into engagement with a crimping head which forms a part of the machine, the rouleau being shown in engagemnt with the crimping head;

Fig. 12A is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing the elevator plate and rouleau in position immediately before the rouleau is brought against the crimping head;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along a line XIII- XIII in Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a horizontal sectional view showing details of the elevator plate and of mechanism for advancing back-up rolls for backing up a rouleau at the printing station;

Fig. 15 is a horizontal sectional view showing details of a plate for guiding rouleaus onto the elevator plate and mechanism for adjusting the rouleau guiding plate;

Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing the plate for guiding rouleaus onto the elevator plate and a portion of the mechanism for adjusting the rouleau guiding plate;

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing the interior of the turret looking upwardly into the turret, the turret being shown removed from the machine;

Fig. 18 is a top plan view of the turret;

Fig. 19 is a bottom plan view of a guard plate which is attached to the top of the turret;

Fig. 20 is a plan view of a rack member which forms a part of the mechanism for adjusting the turret to accommodate rouleaus of differing thickness;

Fig. 20a is a view in side elevation of the rack member illustrated in Fig. 20;

Fig. 21 is a sectional view taken along a line XXI- XXI in Fig. 3 showing details of a clutch mechanism for driving the turret;

Fig. 22 is a view in section taken along a line XXII XXII in Fig. 21 showing a trip bar which forms a portion of the driving mechanism;

Fig. 23 is a fragmentary sectional view of the turret showing details of a spider actuating mechanism of the turret, the turret guard plate being removed;

Fig. 24 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a spider actuating member and links for connecting the member to the spiders of the turret;

Fig. 25 is a perspective view showing mechanism for releasing locks which lock the guide plate and elevator plate in selected position;

Fig. 26 is a fragmentary sectional view showing details of a mechanism for advancing and retracting the print ing head;

Fig. 27 is a sectional view taken along a line XXVII-- XXVII in Fig. 26;

Fig. 28 is a fragmentary view in front elevation showing the rouleau trap in lowered or horizontal position;

Fig. 29 is a sectional view taken along a line XXIX- XXIX in Fig. 8;

Fig. 30 is a view of a rouleau receiving box and box supporting framework which forms the lower portion of the machine, the view being taken along a line XXX- XXX in Fig. 1;

Fig. 31 is a view in front elevation showing the box and box supporting framework;

Fig. 32 is a sectional view taken along a line XXXII- XXXII in Fig. 1;

Fig. 33 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along a line XXXIII-XXXIII in Fig. 30;

Fig. 34 is a perspective view showing one of the pillars which carry the box supporting framework;

Fig. 35 is a fragmentary view in rear elevation showing a connection between members of the box supporting framework, the view being taken along a line XXXV- XXXV in Fig. 30;

Fig. 36 is a perspective view showing a portion of a machine constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 37 is a fragmentary sectional view of a cam and rack which form a part of the machine illustrated in Fig. 36; and

Fig. 38 is a perspective view showing the interior of the turret of the machine illustrated in Fig. 36.

In the following detailed description and the drawings, like reference characters indicate like parts.

Fig. l is a general organizational view illustrating a machine constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention. The machine is mounted on a main base plate 40 which may rest on a floor or other suitable platform. The main base plate 40 carries a motor 41 that drives the machine through a belt 42. In addition, the main base plate 40 carries a goose neck rod 43 on which is mounted the main operating head of the machine, indicated generally at 44. A head base plate 45 (Figs. 2 and 3) is attached to the top of the goose neck rod 43 and carries the head mechanism. Additionally, the main base plate 40 carries front pillars 46 and right and left hand pillars indicated at 47 and 47' respectively in Figs. 1 and 32 which support a framework for holding a box 48 beneath the head of the machine. As will be explained more fully hereinafter, the box 48 receives coin rouleaus as they are discharged from the head of the machine.

The belt 42 drives a pulley 49 which is mounted on a horizontal shaft 50 (Figs. 3 and 4). A gear is mounted on the shaft 50 and is in mesh with a gear 52 on a vertical pulley stub shaft 52. A pulley 53 on the stub shaft 52 drives a short belt 54 which in turn drives pulleys 56 and 57. As shown in Fig. 4, the pulley 56 drives a vertical shaft 58 which, as will be explained hereinafter, drives the crimping mechanism of the machine. The pulley 57, on the other hand, drives a short vertical shaft 59 (Fig. 3) which, through gears 61 and 62 drives a short horizontal shaft 63. The shaft 63 carries a pinion 64 that meshes with a large continuously rotating gear 66. The gear 66 is freely rotatable on a shaft 67 but can be coupled to the shaft 67 periodically to index the shaft through a predetermined angle, say an angle of ninety degrees.

The driving connection between the gear 66 and the shaft 67 is provided by means of clutch mechanism inside a clutch housing 67'. The clutch housing is attached to the head base plate 45. Details of the clutch mechanism are illustrated in Figs. 21 and 22. The clutch mechanism includes a clutch actuator plate 68 which is rotatable about the shaft 67. The clutch actuator plate 68 carries a pawl 69 which is engageable with ratchet teeth of a ratchet 71. The ratchet 71 is keyed to the shaft 67 so that when the clutch actuator plate swings the pawl 69 in a clockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 21, the pawl drives the shaft 67.

A driving connection between the gear 66 and the clutch actuator plate 68 is provided by means of a pin 72 attached to the gear wheel 66 and a pivoted trip finger 73 which is pivotally attached to the clutch actuator plate and swings about a pivot parallel to the surface of the gear wheel 66. As the gear wheel 66 turns, the pin 72 is adapted to engage the trip finger 73 to turn the clutch actuator plate and the shaft 67 until the trip finger reaches a stationary trip release finger 74. The trip release finger 74 is attached to the housing 67' and is provided with a bevel 76, as shown in Fig. 22, so that when the trip finger 73 reaches the release finger 74, the bevel 76 catches and raises the trip finger away from the gear wheel 66 to release the pin 72. When the pin 72 and the trip finger 73 are released, a spring 77 returns the actuator plate to its initial position, as shown in Fig. 21, where the trip finger 73 engages a stationary stop rod 78. A leaf spring 79 normally holds the trip finger 73 against the gear wheel 66 and in position to be engaged by the pin 72.

As the gear wheel 66 rotates, the pin 72 picks up the trip finger 73 each time the gear wheel 62 turns and advances the clutch actuator plate 68 and the shaft 67 through a quarter turn. When the shaft has turned a quarter turn the trip release finger 74 disengages the trip finger 73 from the pin 72 after which the shaft 67 remains stationary while the gear wheel 66 continues to turn until the pin 72 again engages the trip finger 73. Thus, the shaft 67 is caused to advance periodically through an angle of ninety degrees each time the gear wheel 66 turns one revolution and the shaft 67 remains stationary for three-quarters of each revolution. A stop mechanism shown in Fig. holds the shaft 67 stationary. The shaft 67 is keyed to a wheel 81 which is provided with four peripheral slots 82 spaced ninety degrees from each other. A roller 83 carried by a spring pressed arm 83 engages one of the slots 82 when the shaft 67 is stationary and the pawl 69 and ratchet 71 are disengaged.

As shown in Fig. 3, the shaft 67 drives bevel gears 84 and 85, having the same number of teeth. The bevel gear 85 drives a vertical shaft 86 which in turn is keyed to a turret 87 so that the turret 87 is periodically advanced one-quarter turn and then remains stationary until advanced for another one-quarter turn. A thumb screw 87 at the top of the shaft 87 holds the turret down. The shaft 86 is supported by and rotatable within an upright frame member 87" which is attached to and extends upwardly from the head base plate 45.

The continuously rotating gear wheel 66 not only actuates the shaft 67 but also is attached to and turns with a constantly rotating bevel gear 88 (Fig. 3) which drives a bevel gear 89 having a greater number of teeth than the gear 88. As shown in Fig. 5, the large bevel gear 89 drives a horizontal shaft 91 on which is mounted a cam driving bevel gear 92. As shown in Fig. 4, the cam driving bevel gear 92 drives a small bevel gear 93 which is attached to a horizontal cam driving shaft 94 (Fig. 4) which extends along the back of the head of the machine and carries cams for actuating the head mechanism, which cams Will be described in greater detail hereinafter. The cam shaft 94 and cams carried thereby rotate at a constant speed, and the gearing is so arranged that the cam actuating rod 94 makes one complete revolution for each revolution of the continuously rotating gear wheel 66. The cam shaft 94 is supported in an appropriate sleeve bearing 95 which is attached to the crimper column 95'.

The column 95' in turn is attached to and extends upwardly from the head base plate 45.

The large bevel gear 89 further drives a shaft 96 (Fig.

-26)- which rotates a continuously turning printing head 97. The shaft 96 carries a bevel gear 97' in mesh with the large bevel gear 89.

As shown in Fig. 26, the shaft 96 is carried in a vertical bearing sleeve 98. The sleeve 98 is attached to a bracket 99 which is pivotally mounted to swing about the axis of the large bevel gear 89. The sleeve 98 extends radially of the axis of the bevel gear 89 so that when the shaft 96 and the printing head 97 are swung to the left or right, as shown in Fig. 3, the bevel gears 97' and 89remain in mesh.

The top of the turret 87 is shown in Fig. 18. As there shown, the turret is provided with four openings or sockets 100. As the turret is indexed, each socket is advanced in turn from a rouleau receiving station indicated at A to a crimping station B, a printing station C,

and a discharge station D. As the turret halts, a rouleau is introduced into the machine by dropping the rouleau into the socket at the station A. The machine receives the rouleaus after they have been filled with coins. A rouleau 101 is shown in Fig. 12A with its upper end uncrimped as the rouleau is introduced into the machine. When in the socket, the lower end of the rouleau rests on a horizontal guide plate 102, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 3. The rouleau is held between vertical pads 102a and 102b (Fig. 17) which center the rouleau in the socket. The pads 102a and 10% are adjustable to accommodate rouleaus having various shell diameters, by means of a turret mechanism which will be described more fully hereinafter.

When the turret turns through an angle of ninety degrees or indexes for the first time after a rouleau is introduced into the socket at the rouleau receiving station A (Fig. 18), the rouleau is carried one-quarter turn to the crimping station B. As the turret indexes, the rouleau engages a rouleau setting plate 103 (Figs. 15 and 18) which guides the rouleau to the outer edge of the guide plate 102. The rouleau setting plate 103 is adjustable to accommodate rouleaus of varying shell diameters, as will be described more fully hereinafter. At the crimping station B, the lower end of the rouleau rests on an elevator plate 103 (Figs. 12a and 14). The elevator plate 103 is held flush with the guide plate by a latch 104 as the turret indexes. When the machine stops with the rouleau at the crimping station, an L- shaped latch release lever 106 is moved counterclockwise, as shown in Fig. 2, by means of a cam 107 (Figs. 4 and 13) and the latch release lever 106 engages a pillar 108 (Figs. 12 and 14) which extends downwardly from the latch to urge the latch in latch releasing direction to release the elevator plate. A spring 109 normally holds the latch in engaged position. As shown in Fig. 12, the spring 109 is housed in a spring housing 109 attached to the lower side of the guide plate 102.

When the elevator plate latch is released, the elevator plate is raised by means of a spring 110 and an elevator lever 112 (Fig. 12). The spring 110 urges the elevator lever 112 in a clockwise direction to raise an elevator column 113 which is attached to the bottom of the elevator plate. The column 113 is vertically slidable along a vertical rod 114 which in turn is attached to the head base plate 45. A yoke at one end of the elevator lever 112 engages a pin 115 on an elevator plate setting member 116 which will be described more fully hereinafter and which is held in fixed relation to the column 113 so that when the spring 110 swings the elevator lever clockwise, as shown in Fig. 12, the elevator plate is raised.

As the elevator plate 103 is raised, the rouleau 101 on the elevator plate is raised therewith to bring the upper end of the rouleau against a crimping head 118. The crimping head 118 rotates continuously. As shown in Fig. 2, the crimping head is mounted on a shaft 118 which carries a gear 119 in mesh with a gear 121. The gear 121 in turn is carried and driven by the crimper shaft 58 which, as already pointed out, rotates continuously. As shown in Fig. 2, the shaft 58 rotates in a vertical bearing in the crimper support column 95, and the column 95 supports the crimper head 118 and asso- .ciated gears. The crimper head 118 is removable together with the shaft 118', the gear 119, and a housing 121' which supports the shaft for rotation. A pair of pins 121 (Figs. 2 and 4), are attached to the housing 121 and extend into appropriate bores in the column 95 to support the crimping head and the housing therefor. A cap 122 pivoted to the crimper column 95 normally covers the crimper head assembly and protects the gears 119 and 121.

As shown in Fig. 12a, the upper end 125 of the rouleau is uncrimped until the rouleau is raised against the crimping head 118. When the upper end of the rouleau is brought against the crimping head, the upper end is crimped as shown in Fig. 12.

When the rouleau 117 is held against the crimping head 11S, chuck jaws 122' and 123 engage the bottom of the rouleau to prevent turning thereof. The chuck jaw 122 is a stationary jaw and is attached to the upper surface of the elevator plate 103. The chuck jaw 123 is movable and is carried by a bell crank 124 which is pivoted to a depending lug 126 which forms a part of and extends downwardly from the elevator plate. The bell crank 124 is urged in a clockwise direction by a spring 127 as shown in Fig. 12. The movable chuck jaw 123 is carried by and pivotally attached to an upper arm of the bell crank, and the movable chuck jaw is adapted to swing across the upper surface of the elevator plate 103 to engage the rouleau. As shown in Fig. 14 the guide plate is slotted as indicated at 128 and the elevator plate is also slotted as indicated at 129 to receive the upper arm of the bell crank. The lower arm of the bell crank is adapted to engage a roller 131 when the elevator plate is lowered. The roller 131 is carried by a depending lug 132 which extends below the elevator plate, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, and when the elevator plate is lowered, the roller 131 engages the lower arm of the bell crank 124 to swing the crank in a counterclockwise direction as shown in Fig. 12 for releasing the chuck jaws.

When the elevator plate is lowered, a latch plate 133 (Fig. 12) engages the latch 104 to swing the latch out of the way until the elevator plate is sufiiciently lowered that the latch can ride into a slot 134 in which the latch is held for latching the elevator plate down. The elevator plate is lowered by means of the elevator lever 112 and a cam 136 which engages a cam follower 137 on the elevator lever to raise the cam follower and swing the elevator lever counterclockwise from the position shown in Fig. 12 to the position shown in Fig. 2 for lowering the elevator column 113 and the elevator plate.

The belts and gearing of the machine are so arranged that when the elevator plate has been raised to bring the rouleau into engagement with the crimping head 118 the crimping head turns approximately forty-five to fifty turns which are sufiicient properly to crimp the upper end of the rouleau before the elevator plate and rouleau are lowered. The crimping head 118 is of generally conventional construction being provided with an annular slot 138 (Figs. 2 and 12a) into which the uncrimped upper end of the rouleau extends during crimping. The spring 110 (Fig. 2) resiliently urges the rouleau upwardly against the crimping head, and the spring is constructed so that the elevator plate and crimping head can accommodate not only the relatively long rouleaus which contain new coins but the substantially shorter rouleaus which contain worn or used coins of the same denomination. In addition, as will be pointed out in greater detail hereinafter, the elevator plate and guide plate can be adjusted up and down to accommodate rouleaus of coins of different dimensions. The movable chuck jaw 123 is resiliently held toward the stationary chuck jaw 122 and the chuck jaws are adapted to engage rouleaus of varying thicknesses. The machine of this invention is adapted to accommodate rouleaus of coins of the United States, and the chuck jaws are adapted to hold not only a relatively thin rouleau containing dimes but also a relatively thick rouleau containing half dollars as well as rouleaus containing coins of various interme-. diate widths. As will be understood, the. machine may readily be redesigned to accommodate other types of coins.

When the elevator plate has been raised and subsequently lowered and latched down, the turret indexes another one-quarter turn to bring the rouleau from the crimping station E to a printing station C (Fig. 18). The mechanism at the printing station has been described and is claimed in the aforementioned Patent Number 2,620,728. The printing mechanism is shown generally in Fig. 3. At the printing station, the rouleau is held outwardly by means of back-up rolls 141 which hold the rouleau against the printing head 97. During indexing of the turret, the printing head 97 and the backup rolls 141 retracted to permit indexing to bring a rouleau therebetween. The mechanism for retracting and advancing the back-up rolls 2.41 and the printing head 97 are shown particularly in Figs. 26 and 27. As already pointed out. the shaft which carries the printing head 97 is mounted in the sleeve bearing 93 which can pivot about the axis of the large bevel gear 89. A cam 142 attached to the constantly turning gear wheel 66 drives a cam follower roller 143 (Fig. 26) downwardly each time the gear wheel 65 turns to swing a printing head actuating lever 144 downwardly. The lever 144 pivots about a pivot pin 145 which is carried in support arms 145' which are attached to the head base plate 45. The lever 144 carries a roller 146 (Fig. 27) which is adapted to follow an inclined surface 147 of a boss 148 which is a part of the bracket 99 that supports the printing head. As the lever is pushed downwardly, the roller 146 drives the boss 143 to the right as shown in Fig. 27 swinging the bracket 99 and the printing head carrying sleeve 98 counterclockwise as shown in Fig. 27 and Fig. 3 to retract the printing head from the turret. A spring 148 attached to the bracket 99 constantly urges the printing head clockwise.

As shown in Fig. 4, a cross link 149 is pivotally attached to the rear of the printing head bracket and, when the printing head is retracted to the right, as shown in Fig. 4, the link 149 also is pulled to the right, as shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 3, the link 149 includes a rack portion 151 which is in engagement with a gear segment of a roller actuating bell crank 152. A spring pressed pin 153 normally urges the bell crank 152 in counterclockwise direction as shown in Fig. 3 to drive the back-up rolls toward the outer edge of the turret, but when the link 149 is pulled to the left as shown in Fig. 3 while the printing head is retracted, the bell crank 152 is swung clockwise. The upper arms of the bell crank 152 carry yokes 153 (Fig. 14) which engage opposite ends of a pin 154 that extends through a roller carrying housing 155 so that, when the printing head is in printing position, as shown in Fig. 3, the bell crank 152 urges the roller, housing 155 and the rollers 146 to the left as shown in Fig. 3 to engage and back up the rouleau during printing. As shown in Figs. 3 and 14, the pin 154 extends through a slot 156 in the frame member 37" and is slidable back and forth therein. The housing 155, as shown in Fig. 14 is hollow and includes side members 156 which slide on either side of the upper portion of the frame member 87". The housing 155 rests on and is supported by a shoulder 157 on the frame member 87".

the printing head. The inking roll 158 is carried at the.

top of a shaft 159 which is pivotally attached to the bearing sleeve 98. A spring 159' urges the inking roll against the printing head 97. A stop screw 160 is provided to limit the travel of the inking roll toward the printing head. The printing head and inking roll may be of any suitable material. For example, the printing head may carry raised rubber type for printing indicia on the rouleau while the inking roll may be of felt or the like to serve as a reservoir of ink. The inking roll is adapted to turn as the printing head turns for inking the printing head. I

The gearing of the machine is so arranged that the printing head makes approximately one revolution while the rouleau 101 is held against the printing head at the printing station. When the printing head has made approximately one revolution, the printing head and the back-up rolls are withdrawn from the rouleau, and the turret is indexed another one-quarter turn to bring the rouleau from the printing station C to a discharge station D (Fig. 18). At the discharge station, the guide plate 102 is provided with a discharge opening 161 through which the rouleau falls, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2. As the rouleau falls from the guide plate 102, it passes through a vertical tube 162 which is mounted on and at the rear of a counter supporting bracket or plate 163. The counter supporting bracket 163 is attached to and extends upwardly along the front of the head base plate 45. A counter actuating shutter 164 (Figs. 6-10) extends through an opening 165 in the side of the tube 162. The shutter 164 is pivotally attached to the back of the counter-bracket 163 and can swing between a raised position shown in Fig. 2 at which the shutter extends across the tube and a lowered position, as shown in Fig. 8, in which the shutter is swung out of the way of a rouleau falling through the tube. Each time a rouleau falls through the tube 162 the shutter 164 is driven to the lowered position.

As the shutter 164 is lowered, it raises a push rod 167 which cocks a counter actuating or trigger block 168. As

shown in Figs. 6 and 8 the block 168 can swing between a lowered or released position shown in Fig. 6 and a raised or cocked position shown in Fig. 8. When the block 168 is in cocked position, depending fingers 169 mounted on the turret can engage the block 168. The push rod 167 raises the block to cocked position each time a rouleau falls through the tube 162 so that the block 168 can be engaged by one of the fingers 169 each time a rouleau falls through the tube.

When the block 168 has been cocked, one of the fingers 169 of the turret engages the block 168 on the next indexing advance of the turret and the block 168 is driven to the right as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 while the turret moves through its index stroke. The block 168 is pivotally attached to a sliding counter actuator 171 which is slidably mounted on the top of the counter bracket plate 163. A spring 172 resiliently urges the counter actuator 171 to the left, and as the turret indexes, the block 168 and counter actuator 171 are advanced to the right as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 against the pressure of the spring 172 until the finger 169 rides out of engagement with the block 168. Then the spring 172 returns the counter actuator 171 and the block 168 to the position shown in Fig. 6. A spring 173 (Fig. 8) holds the block 168 in cocked or in released position. The lower end of the block 168 is provided with a V-shaped notch 174 (Fig. 6) into which a V-shaped tooth 176 of the spring 173 can fit for holding the block 168 in cocked position once it has been cocked as shown in Fig. 8. When the block 168 is advanced to the left, as shown in Fig. 8, during engagement between the finger 169 and the block 168, the block 168 rides to the left, and the tooth of the spring 173 and the notch 174 are disengaged. Then, as the block 168. and counter actuator 171 return to the right, as shown in Fig. 8, the tooth 176 of the spring catches the right-hand side. of the block 168 and turns the block through a quarter-turn to the released position shown in Fig. 6. Thus, each time a rouleau falls through the tube 162, the actuator 171 can be advanced one time, and for each rouleau that falls through the tube 162, the block 168 and counter actuator 171 may be advanced to the right only a single time. The power for driving the counter actuator 171 is supplied by the turret, and the shutter 164 requires only a light push, as for example the force supplied by a falling rouleau, to cause cooking of the block 168.

As shown in Fig. 6, the counter actuator 171 is pivotally attached to a pawl advancing crank arm 177. A pawl 178 is carried by the crank arm 177. The pawl 178 is engageable with teeth of a ratchet wheel 179 which is pivotally mounted on the front of the counter bracket plate 163. Each time the counter actuator 171 is advanced to the right as shown in Fig. 6, the pawl 178 can advance the ratchet wheel one tooth.

A ratchet stop wheel 181 carried by a lever 183 limits the turning of the ratchet wheel 179. A spring 184 urges the lever 183 in a clockwise direction to hold the wheel 181 against the ratchet teeth. The spring 184 is held by a short pivoted adjusting member 185 mounted on the front of the bracket plate 163. The member 184 can be turned about its pivot and held in fixed relation with the face of the bracket plate 163 to adjust the tension of the spring 184.

The ratchet Wheel 179 is provided with a plurality of switch releasing pins 186 and 187. The pins 186 are disposed equal distances from the center of the ratchet wheel and on opposite sides thereof while the pin 187 is disposed a slightly greater distance from the center of the ratchet wheel than the pins 186. The pins 186 and 187 are adapted to effect release of the switch buttons of switches 188 and 189. The switch 188 is connected through appropriate wiring, not shown, in one of the power lines which supply power for the main driving motor 41 while the switch 189 is connected by appropriate connections to a suitable Warning light, not shown, and the connections are so arranged that when the switch buttons of the switches 188 and 189 are released, the motor 41 may be stopped and the warning light may be lighted to show that the motor has been stopped by opening of the switch button 188.

The switch actuating and releasing mechanism actuated by the pins 186 and 187 is most clearly shown in Fig. 11. A U-shaped switch actuator 191 is provided with an upper arm 192 which is adapted to engage push buttons 193 and 194 of the switches 188 and 189 respectively. The lower arm 196 of the U-shaped actuator 191 is adapted to engage the front surface of the counter bracket plate 163 and, as shown may be somewhat thicker than the rest of the actuator 191 to provide the only portion of the actuator 191 which engages the counter bracket plate 163. The central portion of the actuator 191 is pivoted upon a pivot pin 196' to a trip plate 197 which trip plate 197 is provided with a trip finger 198 engageable with the pins 186 and 187. 'lhe trip plate 197 further is pivotally supported on an arm 199 which is attached to and extends transversely of a ratchet release lever 201. The pivot pin between the trip plate 197 and the arm 199 is indicated at 201. As shown in Fig. 6, the ratchet release lever 201 in turn is pivotally supported upon a shaft 202 which extends along and is rotatably supported in front of the lower portion of the bracket plate 163. The shaft 282 is journalled in an appropriate bearing sleeve 203 attached to the bracket plate 163. A crank 204 is attached to the shaft 202, and the ratchet release lever 201 may be swung away from the counter bracket plate 163 by means of the crank 204. A spring 206 constantly urges the ratchet release lever 201 toward the counter bracket plate 163.

The ratchet release lever 281 carries both the trip plate 197 and the release actuator 191. The head of the release lever 201 is provided with a pair of teeth 20! (Figs.

portion of the actuator 191 toward the counter bracket plate 163. The teeth 207 position the actuator with its arms 192 and 196 horizontal, but the central portion of the actuator may slide up and down between the teeth 207. Normally, the ratchet release lever 291 is urged toward the counter bracket 163 by the spring 206 and the U-shaped actuator 191 is held down by a spring 208 in the position shown in Fig. 6 at which the upper arm 192 of the actuator engages the switch buttons 193 and 194. The lower arm 196 of the U-shaped actuator normally bears on the face of the counter bracket 163 to prevent the upper arm 192 from swinging away from the counter bracket 163. However, when one of the pins 186 and 187 engages the trip finger 19?: of the trip plate 197, the U-shaped actuator 191 is raised sufficiently to release the switch buttons 193 and 1'94, whereupon the machine is automatically stopped and the warning light is lighted. When it is desired to start the machine again, the crank 284 is turned counterclockwise, as shown in Fig. l, to swing the ratchet release lever 291 away from the counter bracket plate 163 and release the trip finger 193 (see Fig. 6). Thereupon, the spring 238 pulls the actuator 191 downwardly to swing the trip finger 198 free from the pins, whereupon, when the crank 204 is released, the ratchet release lever 291 again swings toward the counter bracket plate 163 and causes the upper arm 192 of the actuator 191 to re-engage the switch buttons. A Z-shaped restraining member 269 limits the distance that the ratchet release lever may swing away from the face of the counter bracket plate 163.

A gear 211 attached to the ratchet wheel and a meshing gear 212 rotatably mounted on the face of the counter bracket plate 163 are provided for setting the ratchet wheel. A shaft 213 attached to the gear 212 is provided with a slotted head 214 to which an appropriate key may be attached for turning the gears and the ratchet wheel to set the ratchet wheel.

The counter mechanism is adapted to count fifty rouleaus when set up, as shown in Fig. 6, before the switches are released. The pin 1S7 engages the trip finger 198 each time the ratchet wheel makes a complete revolution. If desired, the ratchet release lever 201, actuator 191 and the trip plate 197 may be shifte" bodily to the right, as shown in Fig. 6, so tht the inner pins 186 can engage the trip finger and stop the machine each time twenty-five rouleaus have passed through the tube 162. A counter locking lever 216 is arranged to register with either of two slots 2 .7 and 217' in the shaft 202. .As shown in Fig. 6, the locking lever 216 is in the slot 217. A spring 21% holds the locking lever 216 in the slot. However, the locking lever 216 may be turned clockwise as shown in Fig. 2, to release the locking lever from the slot 217, whereupon the shaft 202 may be moved bodily to the right until the locking lever 216 can register with the slot 213. As the shaft 292 is shifted to the right, the ratchet release lever 201, the trip plate 197, and the U- shaped actuator 191 all are moved to the right therewith. However, the upper arm of the U-shaped actuator 191 remains in position for contacting the switch buttons 193 and 194, for the upper arm 192 is parallel to the shaft 202.

The rouleau, after passing the shutter 164, falls through the tube 162 and through an opening 220 in the bottom of the head base plate 45 to a rouleau trapping and turning mechanism shown particularly in Figs. 2, 3, 28 and 29. The rouleau trapping and turning mechanism includes a hollow main member 22 having a bottom wall 222 against which the rouleau comes to rest and a curved side wall 223 which embraces two sides of the rouleau, as shown in Fig. 29, when the rouleau is in the trapping mechanism. A third side of the trapping mechanism is formed by a depending wall 224 which is attached to and extends downwardly from the head base plate 4-5 and supports the trapping and turning mechanism. A door 226 is adapted to form and close the fourth side of thetrap. The door 226 and the hollow member 221 can swing from a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 3, to a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 28, to turn the rouleau from vertical to horizontal position. The trap member is pivotally mounted on the side wall 224 upon a shaft 227 (Fig. 2) which is attached to the main member 221 of the trap. The shaft 227 carries a bevel gear 223 in mesh with a second bevel gear 229. The second bevel gear 229 is rotatably mounted on a bracket 230 which is attached to the wall 224-. The gear 229 is driven by a crank arm 231 to which a trap actuating link 232 is connected. The link 232 extends between the crank 231 and a trap actuating lever 233. A earn 234 engages a cam follower 236 at the upper end of the lever 233 to swing the lever counterclockwise for raising the trap. A spring 237 swings the lever 233 clockwise when the cam releases the lever to lower the trap.

The door 226 is hinged along a front edge of the side wall 223 as shown in Fig. 29. A latch member 233 pivotally attached to the side wall 223 is engageable with a pin 239 attached to the door 226, to hold the door in closed position, as shown in Fig. 29. An appropriate spring 240 (Fig. 3), holds the latch 238 in engaged position. When the trap mechanism has been advanced to the lowered position (see Fig. 29), a push rod 241 is advanced through an opening in the wall 224 into engagement with an inclined surface 242 on a latch release arm 243 to swing the latch clockwise and release the pin 239 whereby the door 226 can swing downwardly to the position shown in dot-dash lines in Fig. 29 at 226a and release the rouleau. The push rod 241 is carried by a lever 244 (Fig. 2), and a cam 246 holds the lever 244 in the position shown in Fig. 22 except When the latch is being released. A spring 247 draws the lever 24-4 clockwise when a cam follower 248 on the lever 244 is opposite the low spot 249 of the cam 246.

When the door 226 is open, a rouleau in the rouleau trapping mechanism can fall along the door and be discharged into the rouleau receiving box 48, as shown in Fig. 1. When the rouleau has been discharged, the shaft 227 turns counterclockwise, as shown in Fig. 28, and raises the trap for receiving the next rouleau. As the trap is raised, a pin 249' attached to the door 226 is raised against a stationary pin 249". As the trap continues to rise, the door pin 249' bears first on the stationary pin 249" to partially close the door; as the trap moves further pin 249' then engages a stationary vertical wall 250, which carries the pin 24-9", whereby the closing of the door is completed. The vertical door closing wall 259 is carried by a vertical wall member 250' which is supported by and extends below the head base-plate 45. The wall member 250 is slotted as indicated at 250" to receive the latch 238 when the trap mechanism is raised.

The rouleau receiving box 43 is supported below the trap mechanism by an adjustable framework (Fig. l) which includes an L-shaped main or bottom member 251 and a U-shaped wall member 252 which are adjustable, as will hereinafter be described in greater detail, to accommodate various sizes of rouleau receiving boxes. The framework supports the rouleau receiving box 43 so that the lower or bottom wall 253 is inclined to the horizontal at an angle of approximately thirty degrees from end to end. The rouleau trapping mechanism is adapted to drop a. rouleau into the rouleau receiving box 48 parallel to and closely spaced from an upper end wall 254. It has been found that when the rouleau receiving box is so disposed, rouleaus automatically are stacked properly in the box and that the box may be filled completely with rouleaus without need for stacking by hand.

The rouleau receiving box 48 may be of metal or other appropriate material of sufficient strength to hold twentyfive or fifty rouleaus. The rouleau boxes, when filled, are comparatively heavy, and the bottom 255 of the L-shaped bottom member and the lower wall 255' of the U-shaped wall member 252 are provided with ball bearing retainerinserts 256. Each insert 256 may be in the form of an elongated bar 257 (see Fig. 33) in which are mounted a plurality of bearing balls 258. Each ball 258 is held in a socket in one of the bars 257. Each socket is provided with a hemispherical lower surface 259 on which the ball can turn, and the sockets are so constructed that the upper end of each ball extends only a short distance above the bar in which the socket is formed so the. all of the balls extend above the bars and support the weight of the box.

The rouleau receiving box 48 is disposed immediately below the rouleau discharging trap and remains at this position until filled. Retractable stop fingers 26.1 hold the left-hand side Wall of the box while a push pad 262 holds the right-hand side wall of the box, as shown in Fig. 30, while the box is being filled. When the box has been filled, the pins 261 may be retracted, and the filled box may be pushed to the left on the ball hearings to an out of the way position so that another box may be placed in the machine, and the operator need not stop to lift each box from the machine as it is filled.

The stop pins 261 are carried by crank arms 263 (see Figs. 1 and 32) which are disposed below the bottom 255 of the main or bottom member 251. The crank arms 263 in turn are carried by a shaft 264 which extends transversely of the box supporting bottom frame member 251 and is pivotally mounted thereunder. A sprocket 266 at the end of the shaft 264 can be turned by means of a chain 267 (Fig. 31) to turn the shaft 264 and crank arms 263 to retract the pins. A spring 268 (Fig. 32) normally holds the shaft 264 and crank arms 263 in position with the stop pins 261 extending a short distance above the surface of the bottom wall 255. The chain 267 is driven by means of a foot treadle 269 (Fig. 31) which the operator of the machine may step on when the stop pins 261 are to be Withdrawn when replacing the rouleau receiving box.

The head of the machine is provided with a casing which consists of a main portion 270 (Fig. 1) which surrounds the head of the machine and a top or cap portion 271 which covers the upper portion of the head of the machine with the exception of the turret 87. In the drawings other than Fig. 1, the casing has been removed for clarity.

The machine is shown in condition to handle rouleaus of a relatively thick and relatively short type, but the machine is adjustable for handling rouleaus which are thinner and longer. Three adjustments are necessary. These adjustments are: (1) adjustment of the turret and crimping head for receiving rouleaus of differing thicknesses; (2) adjustment of the guide plate and elevator plate mechanism to accommodate rouleaus of differing length; (3) adjustment of he box supporting mechanism to receive boxes of various sizes. These adjustments will be taken up in order.

The adjustment required to accommodate rouleaus of differing thicknesses is made at the top of the turret. The adjustment for altering the set-up of the machine to suit rouleaus of differing thickness requires (a) the substitution of a crimping head of suitable size (Fig. 12), (b) the adjustment of the vertical centering pads 102a and 102k (Fig. 17) to bring the pads closer together or further apart, and (c) the adjustment of the rouleau setting plate 103' (Fig. toward or away from the outer edge of the guide plate 102.

The adjustment of the pads 102a and 10211 and of the rouleau setting plate 103 is done in a single operation by adjustment of apparatus shown in Fig. 18, which apparatus is disposed on top of the turret 87. The crimping head adjustment is made simply by removal of the crimping head 118 (see Fig. 2) together with the housing 121, gear 119 and pins 121" and substitution therefore of an appropriate assembly including gear, housing, and crimping head for crimping the new type of rouleau. A series of interchangeable crimping head assemblies may be provided with the machine, one assembly being provided for each thickness of rouleau.

The pads 102a (Fig. 17) are carried by a spider 272 while the pads 10% are carried by a spider 273. The spider 273 is shown in detail in Fig. 17 and includes a central square portion and four outwardly extending arms 276. Each of the arms 276 carries one of the pads 102b. The center of the square portion is provided with a bore 2'77 that accommodates a boss 278 which is a part of the turret 87 and forms a shaft about which the spiders can rotate. As will be clear from Fig. 17, the spider 273 can turn about the boss 278 to bring the pads 102b closer to or farther from the center of the sockets 100.

The spider 272 which carries the pads 102a is generally similar in form to the spider 273 and includes a central portion rotatable about the boss 278 and arms 281 each of which carries one of the pads 102a.

The spiders are linked together by means of a spider adjusting slide member 282 (Fig. 24) and links 283 and 284 which are pivotally mounted upon a lower pin portion 286 of the member 282. As shown in Fig. 23, the link 283 is connected to one of the arms 276 while the other link 284 is connected to one of the arms 281. The member 282 is slidably but non-rotatably mounted in a slot 287 in the turret and maintains the spiders in position so that the pads 102a and 102b are equally spaced on opposite sides of each socket in the turret. A rack member 288 (Figs. 18, 20, and 23) having an inclined surface portion 289 is constructed to engage an upper pin portion 291 of the member 282. The rack member 288 drives the member 282 outwardly of the turret when the rack is advanced to the left, as shown in Fig. 23, to cause the spider arms to separate and accommodate thicker rouleaus. A spring 292 (Fig. 17 urges the spider arms together to hold the member 282 in engagement with the inclined portion 289 of the rack.

The rack 288 is driven by means of a gear segment 293 (Fig. 18) which is mounted on top of the turret and is rotatable about the turret drive shaft 87. A turret guide plate 294 is attached to the turret and fits over the rack 288 and the gear segment. As shown in Fig. 19, the turret guide plate is provided with a countersunk portion having a guide shoulder 296 which engages a guide surface 297 (Fig. 20) on the rack 288 to prevent rotation of the rack. The rack 288 is driven to the right or left, as shown in Fig. 18, by turning the gear segment 293. A drive arm 299 attached to the gear segment serves to drive the gear segment and rack.

The rack 288 also serves to drive mechanism for setting the rouleau setting plate 103'. The rack 288 is provided with a central opening 301 through which a shaft 302 extends (see Fig. 2). The lower end of the shaft 302 carries a guide plate setting member 303 (Figs. 15 and 17). When the rack is advanced, the member 303 is moved to the right or left as shown in Fig. 17. A pin 304 attached to the underside of the turret 87 extends through a slot 305 in the member 303 to guide the member 303. As shown in Fig. 20 the rack member 288 carries a depending sleeve 306 for steadying the shaft 302 and guiding the plate setting member 303.

As shown in Fig. 2, the shaft 302 carries a knurled knob 307 at its upper end, and the knurled knob 307 can be pushed downwardly against a spring 307 to lower the member 303. A lock member 307" pivoted on the top of the guide plate 294 (Figs. 2 and 18) is provided with an arm 308 which is normally held beneath the knob 307 to prevent inadvertent depressing thereof. An appropriate spring, not shown, holds the lock member normally in engaged position as shown in Figs. 2 and 18. A pad 308 (Fig. 17) attached to the inside of the turret limits the distance the member 303 and the knob 307 can be raised. Shaft 302 also extends through a slot 308" in the pad 308.

As shown in Figs. 15 and 16, the rouleau setting guide plate 103' is carried by a rectangular frame 309 which.

is slidable crosswise of the machine toward and away from the elevator plate jaws 122 and 123. The frame 329 rests on shoulders 331 of the frame member 87 and is slidable upon the shoulders. The front or left-hand end of the frame 3&9, as shown in Fig. 15, carries a pin 312 that extends through a yoke of a crank arm 313. As shown in Fig. 3, the crank arm 313 drives a shaft 314 which carries an actuator crank arm 316. A pin 317 extends horizontally from the upper end of arm 316, and when the turret is in position with the member 363 ex tending as shown in Fig. 15, and the member 303 is lowered, a notch 313 in the member 303 engages the pin 317 so that when the member 393 is moved to the right or left as shown in Fig. 15, the frame 309 and plate 103 move with the actuator. A toothed stop plate 319 normally engages teeth 321 on the rectangular frame 3&9. The stop member 319 is pivoted to the stationary member 87' and is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 16 by a spring 322. However, when the member 303 is lowered, it engages an upstanding arm 323 of the stop member 319 to swing the stop member out of engagement with the teeth of the rectangular frame 369 so that the rectangular frame 369 and the plate 103 can be moved for adjusting.

When the knurled knob 367 is lowered to move the member 383 into engagement with the pin 317, the resulting swinging of the gear segment 293 serves not only to set the spider pads 382a and 102!) but also serves to set the rouieau guiding plate ms. The pads hold the rouleau in vertical position while the plate 163' advances the rouleau to the outer edge of the guide plate as the turret indexes to bring the rouleau from the loading station to the crimping station.

Adjustment of the guide plate 132 and the elevator plate tea for rouleaus of varying lengths is made by means of a knob 326 (Fig. 2). The knob 326 is carried at end of a shaft 327 rotatably mounted beneath the head base plate 45. The other end of the shaft 327 carries a pinion 323 in mesh with a rack 329. The rack 329 is at the lower end of a rod 331 which carries the guide plate 3.02. The rod 33.. is slidable vertically in a support column 332 which is secured to the upper surface of the head base plate When the knob 326 is turned, the rack and pinion raise or lower the guide plate 132. A lock wheel 333 attached to the shaft 327 me vents rotation thereof except during setting of the guide plate.

The guide plate is set only when the elevator plate is in lowered position, as shown in Fig. 2. As the guide plate 192 is raised or lowered, a pinion 334 rotatably mounted on the elevator plate setting member 116 advances along a rack 335 attached to the elevator column 113 as the guide plate and elevator plate are set. A lock wheel 336 mounted on the same shaft as the pinion 334 normally prevents turning of the pinion except during setting of the elevator plate and guide plate.

Details of the locking wheels 333 and 336 and of the mecha sin for releasing the locks are shown in Fig. 25. The locking wheel 333 is locked by means of a lever 337 which is pivotally supported on a frame membcr attached to the head base plate The lever 337 carries a locking lug 338 engageahle with notches 339 in the periphery of the wheel 333. The elevator plate lock reel 336 is locked by means of a pivoted latch 341 w v carried by the elevator plate setting mem- 7.36 and can engage notches 342 in the periphery of the Wheel 3316. Both lo- .s are released when a crank 343 is depressed. The era 343 is pivotally mounted below the head base plate 34 and carries a book 3% engageable with the latch 341 and a short crank arm 346 having a pin 3 57 in engagement with a yoke which forms a part of the lever 337. When the crank 343 is depressed, the hook 344 engages the latch 341 to release the elevator locking wheel 33:5 and at the same time the lever 337 turns counterclockwise to release the guide plate locking wheel 333. Then, when the knob 326 (Fig. 2) is turned, both the elevator plate and the guide plate are raised or lowered together. Appropriate springs, not shown, urge the lever 327 and the latch 341 to locking position.

The framework for supporting the rouleau receiving box id is adjustable in order to accommodate boxes of varying sizes as required for receiving various types and numbers of rouleaus. The framework adjusting mecha- 1 is shown particularly in Figs. 1 and to incl. e. The main or bottom L-shaped box supporting member 251 is supported by the rear pillars 47 and 4-7. The right hand rear pillar 47, shown in detail in Fig. 34, includes base flanges 351 and 352 which can be bolted to the main base plate 49. A column portion extends upwardly from the base flanges and is provided with a ledge 354- which is inclined at an angle of about sixty degrees to the horizontal. As shown in Fig. l. downwardly extending bifurcations 356 and 356 on the bottom of the L-shaped frame member 2"]. are located on opposite sides of the ledge 354 for guiding the L-shaped frame member 251 when adjusted upwardly and downwardly at an angle of sixty degrees to the horizontal. The left hand rear pillar 47 is similar in construction to the pillar 47 being a mirror image thereof and having a ledge portion 357 (Fig. 32) on opposite sides of which are bifurcations 358 and 358 on the bottom of the frame member 251. The portions 353 of the pillars 4-7 and l7 are bored, as indicated at 359 and 361 respectively to receive a shaft 362 on which are mounted frame elevating pinions 363 and 364 respectively. The pinion 363 is in mesh with a rack 365 attached to the bifurcation 365 while the pinion 364- is in mesh with a rock 365' on the bifurcation 358; thus, as shown in Fig. 1, when the shaft 362 is turned, the lower L-shaped frame member 251 may be raised or lowered. A crank 366 keyed to the shaft 362 is provided for raising and lowering the L-shaped frame member 251. As shown in Fig. l, the front pillars are each provided with a surface 367 inclined at an angle of sixty degrees to the horizontal, and a lower edge 368 of the L-shaped lower frame member 251 slides along and in engagement with the surface 367 at all elevations.

Side wall portions 3:59 and 370 of the U-shaped wall frame member 252 are slidable along the sides of the bottom 255 of the main box supporting frame member 251. As shown in Fig. 35, the side wall portion 369 of the wall frame member 252 is slotted, as indicated at 371 to receive a side edge of the bottom 255 of the L-shaped frame member 23f. The side wall portion 370 is similarly slotted to receive the opposite side edge of the bottom 255 so that the U-shaped wall member 252 is slidably mounted upon the L-shaped member 251. The lower wall 255 of the U-shaped wall member 252 rests on the bottom wall 255. Racks 373 and 373 are attached to the bottom surfaces of the side walls 369 and 376 respectively. As shown in Fig. 32, pinions 374 and 375 are in mesh with the racks 373 and 373 respectively for advancing the racks to drive the U-shaped member 252 across the bottom 255 of the L-shaped member 251 to adjust and adapt the framework to support boxes of varying lengths. A shaft 376 carries the pinions 374- and 375 and is journalled bearing sleeves 377 attached to the lower side of the bottom 255 of the L-shaped frame member 251. A crank 37% attached to the shaft 376 is provided for turning the shaft 376 and the pinions 374 and 375. A stop pin 37% (Fig. 30) is provided for hold ing the frames in adjusted position. The stop pin 379 extends through a bore 331 in the right hand side wall and may register with one of a series of bores 382 in the bottom 255 for holding the framework in adjusted position.

The push rod 262 (Fig. 30) is carried by push pins which extend through bores in the right hand side wall 370. The pins 333 are joined at their outer ends by a cross bar 38 A knob 386 attached to the cross bar 17 384 is slidable lengthwise of a pin 387 attached to the side wall 370, and the framework consisting of the pushpad262, ush pins 383, and cross bar 384 may be slid to the left or right as shown in Fig. 30 to adjust and adapt the framework to receiving boxes of varying Widths.

When the framework is raised or lowered, the chain 267 (Fig. 31) may also have to be adjusted with relation to the sprocket wheel 266. This adjustment is simply made by raising the chain from the sprocket wheel and reatta'ching the chain to the sprocket wheel when the framework has beenraised or lowered.

The operation of themachine will be clear from the foregoing detailed description and the drawings. During normal operation of the machine, the turret 87 (Fig. 1) is periodically advanced one-quarterturn' by the mechanism of the machine, then rests in the position to which advanced, and then advances another one-quarter turn. Each time the turret stops, a filled rouleau having an uncrimped upper end may be dropped into the socket at the loading station A (Fig. 18). Then, the turret indexes for a first time to carry the rouleau to the crimping station B at which the elevator plate 103 (Figs. l2and 12a) raises the rouleau against the crimping head 118 to crimp the upper end of the rouleau. The elevator plate 103 thereupon is automatically lowered following crimping of the upper end of the rouleau and the turret indexes again to bring the rouleau to the printing station C (Fig. 18). While the rouleau is at the printing station, the printing head 97 and the back-up rolls 141 engage opposite sides of the rouleau and the printing head prints indicia on the rouleau. During printing, the rouleau rotates between the back up rolls 141 and the printing head 97. When the rouleau has been printed the printing head 97 and the back-up rolls 141 are withdrawn andthe turret indexes again to bring the rouleau to the discharge station D (Fig. 18) where the rouleau falls through the opening 161 in the guide plate 102 (Fig. 14) into the tube 162. As the rouleau falls through the tube 162 it swings the shutter 164 out of the tube 162 to the position shown in Fig. 8 for cocking the counter trigger block 168. From the tube 162 the rouleau falls into the trapping and turning member 221. Then, as the turret indexes again, one of the fingers 169 (Figs 6 and 8) engages the trigger block 163 and advances the counter mechanism to advance the ratchet wheel 179 one tooth. At the same time, the trap member 221 is swung from a vertical position to a horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the trap door 226 is opened to permit the rouleau to fall from the trap member 221 into the rouleau receiving box 48. The trap door 226 opens to a position where as shown in Fig. 1 the door is parallel to and spaced only sufficiently in front of the upper end wall 254 of the box 48 that the rouleau falls into the box parallel to and only slightly spaced from the upper end wall of the box so that each rouleau, as it falls through the box 48 is properly stacked. As the machine operates, a rouleau arrives at the loading station each time the turret stops so that while one rouleau is being discharged, a second rouleau is at the printing station, a third rouleau is at the crimping station, and a fourth rouleau is being delivered to the machine. 7

When a s'uflicient number of rouleaus have been loaded intothe box' 4-8, one of the pins 186 and 187 comes into engagement with the trip finger 186 (Fig. 6) to raise the U-shaped switch actuating member 191 from engagement with the switch push buttons 193 and 194 to cause the machine to stop and to cause the lighting of the warning light (not shown). When the machine is stopped, the operator may step on the treadle 269 (Fig. 1') withdrawing the stop pins 261 (Fig. 30) so that the box 48 may be pushed to the left as shown in Fig. 30 out of the way, and an empty box substituted therefor. Then, the operator raises the crank arm 204 to release engagement between the trip finger 198 and the ratchet wheel pin (Fig. 6) and the spring 208' automatically resets the switch actuator 191 in position so that when the crank 204is released the switch actuator 191 again engages the push buttons 193 and 194 to start the machine.

When it is necessary to set the counting mechanism, an appropriate key is engaged with the head 214 of the counter-setting shaft 213 and the gear 212 and ratchet Wheel 179 are turned thereby to set the counting mechanism.

When it is desired to set the counting mechanism to change the total number of rouleaus counted thereby the stop lever 216 is swung to the right (as shown in Fig. l) and the crank 204 is pulled or pushed axially to shift the counter-mechanism to bring the trip finger 198 into position for engaging either the pin 187 or the pins 186 of the ratchet wheel. k

When it is desired to change the set-up of the machine to accommodate rouleaus of other dimensions, the head of the machine is adjusted to accommodate a longer or shorter rouleau by turning the knob 326. This adjustment is made only when the elevator plate 103 is in lowered position, as shown in Fig. 2. The crank 343 is first depressed to cause release of the locking wheels 3333 and 336. Then the knob 326 is turned to raise or lower the guide plate 102 and the elevator plate 103 as required. When the elevator plate and guide plate have been adjusted, the crank is released to permit the lug 338 of the locking lever 337 to engage one of the notches of the lug wheel 333 and release the latch 341 from the hook 344 to permit the latch 341 to engage one of the notches 25 52 of the locking wheel 336.

Adjustment of the machine to accommodate rouleaus of a greater or lesser thickness is made at the head of the turret 87;. The lock member 363 (Fig. 18) is first swung clockwise about its'pivot' 391 to draw the lock arm 308 from beneath the knurled knob 307. Then the knurled knob 397 is pushed downwardly as shown in Fig. 2, to push down the guide plate setting member 303. This adjustment is made only when the turret is in the position shown in Fig. 18 where the knob 307 is disposed between the loading station A and the center of the turret so that, when the member 363 is lowered, the notch- 318 thereof engages the pill 317 (Fig. 15) and the stop member 319 (Fig; 16) is swung out of the way to release the locking teeththereof. Then the gear segment 293 (Fig. 18) is swung by means of the arm 299 thereof to advance the rackmember 288' either to the right or to the leftas shown in- Fig. 18 to set the rouleau setting plate 103' and at the same time, set the spiders 272 and 273- (Figs. 17 and 23). When the turret has been set, the knob 307 is released and raised by the spring 307' and the lock member 307" is released to lock the knob in raised position.

Adjustment of the framework which supports the rouleau receiving box 48 is made by means of the cranks 3'66" and 378 (see Figs. land 32). The crank 366 is turned to raise or lower the box supporting frame members 251 and 252 to such a position that the top of the rear wall 354 of the'b'ox 48'is below and spaced only a short distance behind the wall 224 which forms a support for the rouleau trapping and turning mechanism. The framework is adjusted to receive a box of a different length by turning the crank 378 which advances the U-shapedwall frame member 252 across the main frame member 251-. Before the crank 378 is turned, the pin 379" is retreated to release the U-shaped wall member 252. When. the wall member 252 has been moved sufliciently, the pin 3'79 is pushed back into the appropriate one of the bores 382 (Fig. 30) to hold the U-shaped wall member 252 in adjusted position. The chain 267 is removed from the sprocket wheel 266 and attached thereto again after the chain is moved suliiciently to set the treadle 269 at an appropriate height. Finally the knob 386 is pushed in or out to adjust the push pad 262 to engage" the side of the new box.

In Figs. 36-38 inclusive is shown" a machine which is 

